I brewed today for the first time in 6 months. (Ugly story that I don't wanna extrapolate on right now.) When it came time to sparge, I considered batch sparging, but I didn't quite have the motivation to look up how to do it and think about what will change with my set up, so I pulled out my sparge arm and let'er spin. An hour later I put the pot on the stove and went out for sushi.

I'm gonna batch sparge my next batch in a couple of weeks to give it a try.

I'm a little late jumping into this conversation, but I had a busy weekend. *sigh*

I love martinis. REAL martinis. If it's got vodka, you might as well be drinking a Sprite or Coors or spoiled milk.

When it comes to Gin, my regular choice is Beefeater, although there is a nice, cheap brand I find on the shelf here in Nevada, Gilbey's. I don't know if I've got a crappy palate, or if it's actually a worthwhile gin, but it works well for me.

When I can afford it I like to pick up a bottle of McMenamins Professor's Gin from the distillery in Troutdale, Oregon. It has to be the finest gin I've ever tasted.

I like to keep my bottles at room temperature. I put about 6 or 7 ice cubes in my shaker, a whole jigger of dry vermouth, 3+ jiggers of gin, shake hard for about 15 seconds, and the strain and pour. I throw in about 5 olives, but all of these suggestions about a meat-tini have really curious about putting in some salmon--raw, sushi salmon! Perhaps a piece of flank steak or something might be an interesting take too.

I'm still a bit of a novice when it comes to homebrewing, but as is my normal way in life, I jump into new hobbies head first and ask questions later. I made two versions of a lime ale that were amazing. The first was about 5.1% ABV and had a very "fresh" lime flavor to it, but lacked a good body to support it. Luckily, I was the only person I know who was disappointed in it, but it was a good beer. The second version added a little more caramel malts to add more body. I also started experimenting with sparge times and I ended up increasing my mash efficiency from around 65% to 75%. The second beer finished at 7.2% ABV, was popping with fresh lime and a nice, malty body that sits on your palette for a while and leaves you with a smile.

The beer I'm most proud of is a recipe that started off as a McMenamins' Nebraska Bitter clone (No McMenamin's beers where I live!), but it ended up being a slightly darker, less bitter pale ale that was amazingly great. About 4 months later I visited a McMenamins pub in Lincoln City, Oregon, and my wife and I were floored to taste MY beer on tap!! I had inadvertently cloned their Hammerhead Ale!!! My friends and I love the stuff! While I certainly wouldn't argue that McMenamins makes the best beer in the Northwest, they do happen upon a few gems every now and then that are absolutely fantastic.

I received four zip-lock bags filled with "fresh" hops for Christmas. It threw me for a loop! I opened the box fearful of finding a Mr. Beer, and lo-and-behold, there were HOPS! Of course, I have no clue what variety they are, and neither does the goofy girl who picked them for me, but I don't figure that's as big of a deal as whether or not they still have any use. After she picked them at the end of August, she didn't know what to do with them, so she threw them in the freezer while she tried to figure out what to do. 4 months later, she packed up my Christmas boxes and brought them to the party.

My conundrum is this: are these hops still worth drying out and using in beer? Are these best used as fertilizer for the 18 "ladies" I have growing in my back yard? I estimate that they would weight between 4 and 7 ounces when dry, but I don't really know right now. I've kept them as frozen as possible since I received them, so they're still pretty much un-thawed.